


An Empty House is Filled with Music

by CyborgWrites



Series: IronHusbands with Gellibean [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: But whatever, Edwin Jarvis mentioned - Freeform, Established Relationship, Halloween, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard is still an ass even when he's not around, Kinda predictable, M/M, Maria loves Rhodey, Maria ships IronHusbands, Maybe cliche, Minor Character Death, Not much because no puedo, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-27 22:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8419660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyborgWrites/pseuds/CyborgWrites
Summary: Tony sighed, relaxing back into his bed, the soft and melodic sounds of a piano lulling him to sleep. He felt himself sinking into his mattress until the phone rang, jarring him out of sleep."Hello?" He mumbled, rubbing at his eyes."Hey, babe.""Rhodey?'""Open the door."Tony was wide awake in an instant."What?""Let me in."





	

**October 31st 1994:**

It was night and the mansion in New York felt dark if only because Tony didn't see the point of turning any of the lights on. He knew the place like the back of his hand and could easily navigate around blindfolded. 

His hand glided smoothly over the banister of an elegant staircase as he made his way from the foyer up to his room, with only the dim moonlight glowing softly through large windows to light his way.

Throughout the house, the soft tinkling  of a piano could be heard.

Tony let out a soft huff of a laugh as he heard the music's tempo change to match his pace.

"I'm going," he muttered.

Finally having made it to his room, he took off the Tesla costume he'd been wearing all day.

Obadiah had been parading him around for hours at the Stark Industries Halloween Party and he had expected as much which meant that he had opted out of dragging Rhodey along with him. He'd probably found something better to do, Tony was sure.

Now in comfortable sweats and a t-shirt, he flopped onto his bed with a groan.

_I miss you, mom. You'd know how to handle those uppity assholes better than I can._

He heard the piano shift into a more melancholy tune.

He hummed softly to himself lyrics to a song he'd not heard in a long while.

The fluid sounds faltered, making him frown and he thought he heard a distinct bang from down stairs.

"Don't get murdered, Stark," he whispered to himself. He'd given the staff time off as he made certain to have the whole house to himself that day as he had for two years previous.

The staff had agreed gladly, too disturbed by the strangeness that came over the mansion  that time of year.

He heard nothing else for a while and the music resumed.

Tony sighed, relaxing back into his bed, the soft and melodic sounds of a piano lulling him to sleep. He felt himself sinking into his mattress, the numbness of sleep pulling him in deeper.

Until the phone rang by his bed, jarring him out of sleep.

"Hello?" He mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey, babe."

"Rhodey?'"

"Open the door."

Tony was wide awake in an instant.

"What?"

"Let me in." 

He threw his covers to the side, launching himself from his bed.

 _He can't be here..._ Tony thought, not without guilt, as he wondered what possessed his boyfriend to drive across town from their apartment at that time of night.

_Maybe it wouldn't  be so bad if I just told him- no...._

_He doesn't need to know._

Finally, he made it to the front door throwing it open to reveal a more than amused Rhodey, who arched a brow and chuckled at his panting boyfriend.

"Wh-What are you doing here, Jim?"

"Um, bringing sweets to my ungrateful ass boyfriend?" he said, snorting  and brandishing a pumpkin shaped bucket full of The Good Stuff.

"Aw, you shouldn't have," Tony said, half touched and half serious.

Rhodey seemed to pick up on it. He always did.

"I can leave?" he said, already taking a step back from the doorway.

"No!"

Rhodey looked skeptical at Tony's outburst.

"No?" 

"I mean... stay?"

"Well.... you kinda have to let me in first..."

"Right." 

Tony rushed to move out of the way so that Rhodey could walk in.

Tony noticed that the music hadn't stopped, a bead of sweat collecting on his forehead despite the chill.

Rhodey shot him a concerned look.

"Sure you're alright there, Tones?"

Tony swallowed and nodded. He tried  for a smile even though he knew it wasn't all that convincing, coming off as more of a grimace.

"Peachy."

A few minutes later found them back in Tony's room with Rhodey stripping off some of the less sleep friendly parts of his Lando costume.

They settled into bed shortly after, Rhodey opening his arms for Tony who snuggled up to Rhodey's chest despite having been so anxious about Rhodey being there.

"Sorry, Tony."

Tony frowned.

"For?"

He heard and felt the other man sigh against him.

"I couldn't sleep without you the last couple of days and leave you alone here..."

Tony felt the guilt  gnawing  at him again.

_Aw, Jim._

"It-It's okay."

Rhodey hummed.

"What is with the music, though? I didn't know you were into classical."

 _I'm not...._ Tony thought grimly, reality  setting in again.

He snuggled closer to Rhodey. 

"Go to sleep, Platypus."

 Rhodey pressed a kiss to his head, eyes already heavy after two nights of tossing and turning in a half empty bed.

That's why, deeply asleep, Rhodey didn't feel it when Tony slipped out of his arms.

At least... not at first.

It had to be at least three in the morning when his eyes cracked open. His instinct, as it was every time he woke up, was to reach for Tony.

Only, his fingers met cold sheets.

He frowned,  sitting up in the bed and eyes searching the room for the genius.

Nothing.

Nothing except the sound of the piano.

_Did Tony forget to turn off the music?_

He slowly crawled out of bed, making his way out of Tony's room and into the hallway, which was darker than the staircase at the end where he could see the faint glow of moonlight that was flooding in.

"Where could he be?" he whispered, walking down the stairs. He took a right toward the center of the house and then another right down another hall and he realized that the music grew louder and clearer as he walked.

"Maybe that's where he is?"

He stopped  at a door that was slightly ajar, where the music sounded clearest. He peeked through the cracked door, eyes widening at what they saw.

Tony was sitting on a large window sill, looking out at the pond behind his house, which was aglow with moon and starlight.

He looked lost. And sad.

And still as beautiful as ever. Rhodey would have been struck stupid by that normally. except that across the room from Tony was an old and probably priceless piano.

Where someone was sitting.

Playing it.

He studied them for a bit, noticing it was a blonde woman, though he could only see part of her profile. That is... until she turned and looked straight at him, arching a brow as if to ask why he was still standing at the door like an idiot.

He nearly shit himself when he realized he recognized her. And that her form was transparent.

"Maria..."

She nodded, inclining her head as if to usher him in.

He pushed the door open silently, surprised that Tony hadn't noticed, gaze transfixed on the sparkling water.

The piano never stopped. Maria never stopped.

"Is this why you were against having company?" he blurted.

Tony startled. But Maria didn't. He did see her shake her head with exasperation in his peripheral, though.

Tony tried to find the words  to respond, floundering as Rhodey went on.

"Your house is haunted. Your mom is haunti-"

"Visiting." Tony cut in, finally finding his voice.

Rhodey stared at him blankly, mind reeling.

_I'll never understand white folks' fascination with ghosts. If I didn't love this man with all my heart... Lord..._

"Visiting?...From the.... where ever people go after they... you know."

" You mean die? Yeah, I know."

Rhodey grimaced.

"So... All she does is play piano?"

Tony shook his head, giving his mom an adoring stare, though it was tainted by grief.

"Sometimes she sings."

Rhodey was equal parts intrigued and creeped out by that fact.

 "Okay... does she talk?"

Tony stared at the floor for a moment before answering , "No. I've tried to start conversation with her but she doesn't really talk. What she's doing now? That's how she communicates."

Rhodey nodded in understanding.

"Has she always been here?"

Tony shook his head.

"No," he whispered, staring at her, "she's only here for a few days at the end of October and the beginning of November every year. Or... at least this is the third year in a row."

"Ah."

"You're not.... totally weirded out by this, then?"

"Oh, I am. There's a ghost. Your mom's ghost. In your house. Playing piano. Around Halloween. At least now I get why you holed yourself up out here but...."

Tony fidgeted under Rhodey's intense stare, waiting for him to finish.

"I'd probably want my mom to myself, too. And I would make sure nobody made her feel unwelcome. So that she'd come back."

Tony smiled at that, launching himself forward to hug him. Rhodey wrapped an arm around him, letting one hand rise to smoother over Tony's mild bedhead.

They both laughed as they heard the music take on a sweet and romantic turn, Maria singing softly in Italian.

"I think she likes you, Honey Bear."

"Well, gee, I hope so. I'd hate to be the asshole who calls the Ghostbusters on my boyfriend's mom."

Tony wacked his shoulder weakly, giggling into his chest.

They stayed like that for a while, the music making up for their silence.

"I wish she'd talk to me," Tony whispered, clinging to him tighter as he spoke. "Sometimes, though, she just looks so sad and I'm scared of what she might say if she could."

Maria looked back at Tony, smiling wide and bright and eyes shining with pride and love, her fingers moving over he keys to play a more upbeat tune.

He knew she was trying to cheer him up in her own way.

Rhidey cleared his throat, drawing Tony's attention.

"It... is it just your mom? Or are Jarvis and Howard hanging around, too?"

Tony shook his head. "Jarvis came with mom last year. He came to say goodbye so he actually talked. But... Da- Howard never... "

Rhodey eyed Tony as he shrugged, knowing that his father not coming to see him hurt more than he'd ever admit.

He sighed after a moment of silence, reaching for Tony's hands.

"You can go back to bed, Rhodey."

Rhodey hesitated. "You sure?"

Tony nodded. "I want to stay a while longer. Today is her last day. She's always gone by the 2nd."

Rhodey nodded slowly, opting to give Tony space now that he understood the circumstances.

His protection wasn't needed  right then. Unlike other people Rhodey was wary of, Maria was the last person who'd ever try to harm Tony. She'd die a second time before she did.

It took him a while when he finally got back to Tony's room but he eventually was lulled to sleep by the soft sound of music.

Tony, meanwhile, stared out the window as his mother started singing a song about cold and winter.

He wondered when his mother had learned to sing in Russian.

"Hey, Mom?"

He knew she was listening even as her fingers kept moving.

"Do you think Rhodey and I will be together until we die? Like you and Dad?"

Her smile was brilliant when he turned to face her, the sad song quickly changing to one of romance and eternal love and he was glad to hear the  more familiar Italian flowing from her lips.

He laughed at the sudden change.

"I hope you're right, Mom."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any typos. Let me know what y'all think in the comments! ♡


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